Whats next for U.S. That the 2 of the touted youngster didn't get 3 U.S. for next ye

what i mean- is this . because U.S. didn't get 3 women for next years worlds, how will we (us) be seen internationally--will it hurt or help because they are young.
because other us skaters we young in the past got three under 6.0's and with figures included
so does age make a difference.
or is it because they are young. or because other country skaters are older /caught up to U.S. in technqiue and style and personallity and jumps. us focus too much on artistry.
or because U.S. bases most of it on artistry and (i perceive as lack of doing a jump correctly-like ur, prerotation, underotation, wrong edges on landing/takeoffs) where costly points are taken off.

does this lack of 13 hurt our potential for U.S. women skaters to get on top or on podium in future years and next year.
rachel was 9th in free skate, mirai was 11th.
or does the Us women skaters need to buckle down and fight during competition and clean jumps and work on attitude instead of just skating.

i apologize if this comes across wrong. but i am wondering about overall concept of american womens skating in future .
because I as a fan assume /thought that the youngster, mirai, rachel, ashley, caroline zhang could and would get 3 women skaters. but apparently i am wrong-so now i am worried about the future of American Women figure skating.:sheesh::
just might thought--like i stated i apologized if taken wrong way.

What's next for the US that the 2 of the touted youngsters didn't get 3 spots for the US next year?!

Dooooom and despair! The end of the world is nigh! Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin!

On a more serious note, the US ladies are simply going through a transitional slump right now (e.g. like Russia in pairs). A few less-than-stellar seasons does not doom the entire future of American women's skating--look at the promise Mirai showed at the Olympics.

And this slump is based on the fact that the US "focuses too much on artistry"? Um, no.

what i mean- is this . because U.S. didn't get 3 women for next years worlds, how will we (us) be seen internationally--will it hurt or help because they are young.
because other us skaters we young in the past got three under 6.0's and with figures included
so does age make a difference.
or is it because they are young. or because other country skaters are older /caught up to U.S. in technqiue and style and personallity and jumps. us focus too much on artistry.
or because U.S. bases most of it on artistry and (i perceive as lack of doing a jump correctly-like ur, prerotation, underotation, wrong edges on landing/takeoffs) where costly points are taken off.

does this lack of 13 hurt our potential for U.S. women skaters to get on top or on podium in future years and next year.
rachel was 9th in free skate, mirai was 11th.
or does the Us women skaters need to buckle down and fight during competition and clean jumps and work on attitude instead of just skating.

i apologize if this comes across wrong. but i am wondering about overall concept of american womens skating in future .
because I as a fan assume /thought that the youngster, mirai, rachel, ashley, caroline zhang could and would get 3 women skaters. but apparently i am wrong-so now i am worried about the future of American Women figure skating.:sheesh::
just might thought--like i stated i apologized if taken wrong way.

A lack of 3 spots sure hasn't stood in the way of Yu-Na Kim or Joannie Rochette. If the determination and strong training and strong will is there to improve and work toward being among the best in the world, it can happen. The drive has to be there to improve your technical weaknesses and mature and improve your presentation the way Kim and Rochette did to become the best!

I thought such a post would be made. No worries. Mirai and her partner will get three back next year. I don't know why some fans are so obsessed with three spots though. Who cares as long as the one or two representatives skate well?

No need to cry doom and gloom! Things may have looked depressing after '09 Worlds, but I don't see how anyone could have anything less than an optimistic perspective for the US ladies right now. Yes, they "only" got two spots for next year, but consider the fact that Mirai was FIRST after the SP. She could have played it save the whole competition long and easily placed herself high enough to get three spots. But no, she went all out, got first in the SP and fought for a medal in the LP. She didn't make it, but I'd rather see a skater fight for it than skate safely. I.e. Rachel I thought was a little too safe and complacent, but at least Mirai went for it.

It's just a transition time, that's all. The US didn't have a veteran performer to go in and get the job done; instead they had two young ladies still in the learning phase. I've no doubt that the US can get three spots back sometime in the quad. They'll find a way back up.

gymfan
i am glad you thought mirai fought for it. because me and my friends didn't think so. she just skated and gave up after the fall.
but to each his own.
i am just thinking the american women might have to work harder next year to get 3 spots and make podium.
thank you all for your opinion.
i don't think it is doom and gloom-i just think the american women have to work harder for what they want and not just to expect it to fall in their lap even if they are 1st , 2nd 3rd 4th 5th or whatever placement--that is all. thank you again.
just wondering what you all thought--thanks you just the same.

I don't understand why people harp so much on the the 3 spots. Yes they're great to have because they give an additional young lady the opportunity to gain international experience, but it's not the be all to end all. It's not the end of the US ladies program if there aren't 3 spots. The US can't be "on top" and have 3 spots forever. This was bound to happen (the infamous 2 spots), and its happening now. The US ladies are just going to have get themselves together and earn back those 3 spots. Personally I think 2 spots are good for competition. It will make these ladies more hungry, more competitive. As a result, maybe we'll see some fire return to these ladies. Cause right now, I'm just not seeing it. I'm seeing cutsie tootsie and some "consistency" but no real fire. No one's really pushing each other, everyone's still falling all over the place and barely getting by. Perhaps what's happened here at worlds for both Rachel and Mirai will put some fire and competitiveness in all of them.

Mirai gets the first spot and Rachael (if she continues), Agnes, Ashley and Christina battle it out for the second.

Agreed. And whoever said Ashley should have been sent instead, there's no telling she would have done better. Realistically, she probably would have done worse. This season Ashley was getting mid 50s for her SP and 100-110 for her LP which is lower than what Rachael and Mirai normally get. This is also different from last year when Alissa was sent because Alissa deserved to be 3rd in nationals and therefore shouldn't have been sent and she also had bombed at Worlds before and then bombed again in the SP last year. I kind of expected this to be honest, I mean how often does a skater have 3 clean, great competitions right in a row? Mirai and Rachael peaked at nationals and the Olympics, which realistically was the best time to peak. Almost everyone made a lot of mistakes at worlds, and those who didn't did poorly at the Olympics and probably just peaked now.

Did it hurt this year? Obviously not - Mirai was first in the short with a PB, and it wasn't even a completely clean. She placed ahead of some of the most acclaimed skaters int he world, also. The US looked poised to snatch three spots after the short, but it didn't work out. Disappointing? yes. Fatal? Absolutely not. The US, especially Nagasu, showed MUCH promise here. She staked her claim for Sochi at this competition. At this worlds, Mirai made a name for herself, no matter what her final placement was. I'm sure some didn't take her seriously, but now she is considered one of the "big contenders."

This is an imporant step for her. She went from being an above average skater here to becoming a star (in the eyes of the judges I suppose, I always knew she was). It is difficult to cope with in the beginning, hence her free skate, but overtime she will get used to her new found popularity, I'm sure. This was a real coming out party for Mirai Nagasu - once you're out, there's no going back. I have the utmost confidence that she will work hard over the summer and continue to impress us next year.

Hopefully not the same thing that's been happening for the past two years where both ladies falter. I hope whichever American ladies will be competing will come back with a vengeance.

I also hope Caroline Zhang will make the Worlds team with a much-improved arsenal of jumps, but I won't get my hopes up too much.

I don't know what to think about Caroline. I mean, after seeing Mirai's miraculous improvement it makes me think anything is possible, but Caroline has so many more issues than Mirai. For Mirai, she had one issue, downgrades, and I guess mental strength too but that's easy enough to fix. For Caroline, she has many issues,awful jump technique, no speed, poor PCS, little expression, and based on this season, not the best attitude. I think there is still hope for her if she gets a new coach and works really hard to fix her problems. Otherwise I think she'll just end up like Alissa and never quite make it to the top internationally, and sometimes not even nationally. I think she should go to Artunian, and if she does, I think she could redeem herself and come back strong. With Mirai looking so strong now though, and Agnes and Christina on the rise, plus Rachael and Ashley, it's going to be hard for her to make a World team in coming years.

Things still look good. Mirai is the brightest star we've had in years and I have no reason to doubt she'll be a champion someday. Her doing so surprisingly well at the end of this season is already enough considering where she was less than half a year ago and how quickly herself and Frank have worked out her issues. Next year is where she really begins to lay down the law.

Things look promising for our future, but I agree with fairly4 that we are currently in a bit of a trough in terms of ladies depth in the U.S. compared to our past history. Certainly part of it is that the rest of the world has caught up. But I humbly suggest that American coaches need to look at how jump technique is taught at the earliest levels. For example, a skater with as much beginning promise as Caroline Zhang should not be hampered by such awful technique. She didn't teach herself, and presumably she spent as many hours practicing those lutzes (and as much money on coaching and rink time) as she would have practicing correct jumps. So why weren't her errors caught and corrected?

As far as skaters who are head cases and choke up in international meets, there will always be a few of those. Ironically, many of them are the most enjoyable skaters to watch. Czisny, for example, is a real heartbreak kid, with spins to die for and jumps she regularly leaves on the practice rink. I'm not sure mental toughness can be taught, though it can be encouraged, as Frank Carroll has shown with Nagasu.

I agree with whoever made the point that even with two spots--or even with one, as Korea has proved recently--a country's skating program can achieve greatness. But after a while, a country needs to achieve depth, or when that one great skater retires, it's in trouble again. I doubt that if Kim retires (heaven forbid!) there will be a Korean on the podium next year, but if Mao retires (heaven forbid!), there will likely be a Japanese skater on the podium next year. That continuity is the difference.